Although
World War II retarded the fishery the civilian utilisation of military technology
propelled the post war fishery to a level of prosperity beyond the dreams
od pre War fishermen. Echo sounders, radar, air transport, nylon roles, hydraulic
drives and lightweight diesel engines transformedthe fishing technology.
In 1947 new regulations were introduced that prevented the catching of females from June to November and males from the beginning of September to mid October. The latter rule was to prevent the marketing of soft-shelled crayfish. To recognise the different moulting period in the northwest the closed season there was for the month of January. A new set of regulations in 1950 added further specifications for the pot and prevented potting in the Derwent, Channel, Frederick Henry Bay and off Adventure Bay. The minimum size was now 4.25 inches rostral carapace length.
A number of technological advances during the War allowed the industry to blossom. The most important developments were air transport, diesel engines, synthetic fibres, echo sounding and radar. Power take-offs allowed mechanical haulers to be used. These advances allowed the fishery to be extended into deeper water and export markets to be exploited. Within a year of the War ending the number of boats using pots had doubled to over 200 and catches rose proportionally.
The air freighting of fish to the mainland had first been contemplated in June 1944 when Edward Brooker, Minister for Lands and Works contemplated building an airstrip at Triabunna. The first crayfish season after the war saw the first "all freight flight by Australian National Airways ..... one and a half tons of crayfish to Melbourne . By October 1946 air freighting of crayfish (and scallops) extended overseas when an ANA DC4 carried a trial consignment to San Francisco. In September 1947 plans were announced for a company to operate three Catalinas(amphibians) from Port Davey to air freight fish to Melbourne. The company planned to provide huts or hostels for fishermen and "50 Victorian fishermen intended to operate" along the south west coast. Crayfish catches did not immediately rise after the war but exports grew steadily, doubling between 1949-51. By 1953-4 the export industry was providing valuable foreign currency (US$3.5 million) and Tasmania's contributed over 100,000lbs Exports grew steadily an exceeded US$5 million three years later and Tasmania's share had more than doubled.
Fishermen expressed concern at the failure of catches to increase claiming serious depletion of the east coast and the inability of the west coast grounds to sustain heavy fishing. They urged a reduction in pots to not more than 30 per boat. Minister J J Dwyer authorised a transfer of 1560 crayfish from Bass Strait "the depleted grounds east of Bruny Island in October 1949. When the Liawenee returned to exploratory fishing major new grounds were discovered off the south coast from Maatsuyker Island to SouthWest Cape and New Harbour in early 1953; on the same cruise the reef area between High and Low Rocky Points were also found. Later in the year the search was centred on the deeper water off St Helens. Fishermen from Stanley were about to begin fishing off the west coast.
The importance of the shark and cray fisheries prompted an interstate meeting with Victoria in Melbourne in August 1948 to promote uniformity of regulations, conservation, measures, statistics and the licensing of Victorian boats operating in Tasmanian waters. The Conference agreed on closed seasons for crayfish in October and November, some conservation measures for sharks and reduction in the minimum length of shark (so they could be packed in existing boxes!). Tasmania declined to support the closed season due to objections from northwestern fishermen that they would be unacceptably be affected. In the search for uniformity the legal minimum length was changed to 4.5 inches total carapace length.
These fisheries were again the subject of interstate discussions in January 1953. This time NSW and Sth Australia joined in and Blackburn and Olsen from CSIR had some success in getting agreement to management measures. The meeting followed recommendations from CSIRO for a three month closed season, the closure of nursery areas and a minimum legal size foe school shark. A minimum size was approved but there was no agreement on a closed season. Further discussions took place in 1954 when all but South Australia agreed on the closure, discussions throughout the next year finally lead to an agreement to prohibit shark fishing in December each year; but in November Tasmania decided to defer the closure until 1956. No agreement could be reached in 1956 but in June the next year Dwyer announced that he would agree to the closure, now to be the month of November. The legal minimum length was returned to 4.25 inches rostral carapace length. The debate about how to measure crayfish continued for another twenty years as fishermen argued about the practice of breaking off the rostrum. Spearing was prohibited and amateurs were limited to one pot each.
Up until about 1950 all fishing boats were also fitted with sails. Fishing during the period mentioned above was quite different in many ways than it is today. In those times there were no freezers or ice boxes - this meant fishermen had to catch their bait - this they did by using graball nets and fish traps plus handlines, shark lines etc. This meant that when leaving on a trip the meat order was likely to be a leg of mutton, 2 or 3 lbs. sausages, 8 or 10 lbs. of corn beef plus a slab of bacon. When this was gone then you had to look for fresh meat - this you sometimes achieved by going ashore - it always paid to take a gun because you might be attacked by a roo, then in self defence you had to shoot him - having done this it was a waste to leave it there to rot. Then in season I have known mutton birds to hit the boat and break their necks, also swans have been known to do the same. Along with the meat order would be butter, jam etc. and at least 2 25 lb. bags of flour, at least 2 pockets of spuds, onions, carrots, cabbage etc. Most boats these times were fitted with wood stoves - these supplied heating and cooking - no gas in those times, but this meant that some of your spare time was taken up getting wood for the wood stoves.
The above mentioned was not the end of all the things you had to do when you had nothing to do, there were nets to mended, plus those times all fishermen made their own pots. Most fishermen carried pot wire cane etc, aboard and if they did not have sticks aboard when laying or sheltering these also had to be found. These times fishermen send a radio message ahead and if there is another boat leaving they get him to bring pot replacements etc. Before the last war there were no radios, a boat could be out for weeks and no one would know where they were. This put a big strain on families, the fact of not knowing. Transceivers came into existence in fishing boats mainly in the 50's and these were mainly army disposal radios and had seen better days before they were installed in boats. Nevertheless they were a big improvement on nothing and by the time radios were made compulsory all fishing boats had them - big deal - but like everything else in the fishing industry a survey fee went with it.
In 1944 I was married and worked ashore for a while, but also fished weekends with a 12 ft. dinghy powered by a two and a half horse power B.S.A. motor bike engine cooled by a fan. Then I built the E-Lynne a 26 ft. dinghy powered by a 10 h.p. Southern Cross diesel. With this boat I obtained what I think was quite outstanding figures. 1946 I averaged 10.3 crays per pot per shot for the season and 10.01 per pot per shot for 1947.
This dinghy was a beautiful thing to work. When working deep water I worked my pots on a flag line in 2 sets, I had fixed gear flag line being attached 25 fathoms apart on top of 20 fathom bottom lines. This method allowed me to fasten the flag line off and then pull each pot separately. This dinghy would lay on this flag line head to wind in a gale, plus this method allowed me to work tide with no problems.
Going back to the 1930's and 40's we always considered 12 score per shot with 20 pots was a minimum, if we got less than this we moved on. Quite a few times we exceeded 20 score for 20 pots. In those days it took only a fraction of the effort to get a load of fish. Effort these days has, in my opinion, increased 10 fold at least. If we had had echo sounders and float rope in the 30's and 40's how much easier it would have been, as those who used the lead line would know.
I recall in the early 40's on one trip to the east coast, perhaps not a record but what I consider a fair effort, 107 score from 111 pots lifted. The best effort for a shot this trip was 22 and a half score out of 15 pots - this was obtained off the East Bluff Schouten Island. I also recall while lifting this shot with brothers Scotty and Bob in a dinghy, Bob pulled one pot, 60 sure measures and about 12 or 14 crays to be measured as on this trip in the dinghy we left the measure on the "Parappa". At this stage Bob claimed the record pot but this record never stood for very long as the very next pot Scotty"s pull produced 65 sure measures and about 12 or 14 to be measured. On returning to the "Parappa" with our load of pots and measured the crayfish almost all of them measured so we assumed we got at least 6 score from the 2 pots. This I have never beaten from consecutive pots before or since.
What I consider was our best trip was not the one just mentioned but one a couple of months later. This trip is what I think is a record for the west coast, that is for the amount of fish and the time taken which was 72 hours from Hobart and back to Hobart, 124 score of crayfish and 70 dozen scale fish. Most of the scale fish were dead on arrival, we had crayfish in the dinghy and in the well tops - most of these fish were 5 to 7 pounders. These were the first quantity of crayfish to come from Green Island above Port Davey as most fishermen considered the crays from Green Island too big, as crays were sold by the score then not by weight. Other good shots were once again 22 and a half score from 15 pots (Whales Head), 27 score from 20 pots (Prion Bay), around 20 score per shot was not uncommon.
On another occasion the Needles, Maatsuyker Island - 36 score - we were underway by 11 a.m. Blown out of the place there was a very big run of crays from this area this trip. We had also fished Mewstone also Prettys Point - just as well we did as we had to mix some smaller crays with the big ones to get 18 to the bag. Those times we had Maatsuyker and Green Island almost exclusively to ourselves as other fishermen considered these crays too big as they were paid by the score not by weight. H. Jones & Co. was the first to pay by weight, 3d per pound or a minimum of 11/- per score - this was around 1937 and by this time fishing boats were being fitted with diesel engines. Some of the first boats fitted with diesel engines were Carona Astron (Martin Brothers), Valma (Fred Marks), Parappa (Jager) and a few others before war broke out in 1939. Nineteen thirty nine was a bad year - bad weather during August/September especially. For I remember at this time of the year we, along with Carona Astron and Sea Fairer were stuck in Port Davey for six weeks - gales day after day, week after week, they said Noah had 40 days rain, we had rain on 61 days straight. Before entering Port Davey on this occasion the Langford brothers in the Seafarer spent a terrible night hove to off Port Davey. Next day there was caulking and putty hanging out of the Sea Farer everywhere and she was leaking very badly. The weather being a full gale from the northwest at the time.
Nineteen forty was another bad year weather wise, westerly gales day after day right up until the end of January. We had the mail run to Maatsuyker for quite a few years - 9 trips at £10.00 per trip. I recall this year we got the Christmas mail and provisions to deliver to Maatsuyker earlier than usual, but it was 16 January 1941 before we landed them. It was on the seventh attempt to land that we succeeded.
The early 50's is what I call the turning point in the fishing industry "for better or worse" the echo sounder was now becoming established in the fishing industry. This instrument, the echo sounder, is I think one of the greatest boost the industry has ever seen, besides locating bottoms it was also a navigational instrument, it took the worry out of bad nights. Especially when travelling it is a very comforting thought to know what water is under you.